In 2017, Zhang Yiwen, a 10-year-old girl from Shangqiu, Henan, was admitted to the Shangqiu Institute of Technology, which caused concern. She had not received compulsory education before and only studied at the private school opened by her father Zhang Mintao for 5 years.
Zhang Mintao said that he hoped that his daughter would graduate with a doctorate at the age of 20, and then engage in scientific research and enter the "upper society".
Zhang Yiwen seems to have pressed the "accelerator" in her life. Some netizens called her a "genius girl", but more people raised doubts. The mainstream view is that this kind of education method of "pulling out the seedlings and fostering" will ruin the child's life. Someone pointed out that his father was just hyping up his private school.
The reporter learned that Zhang Yiwen has successfully graduated in July 2020.
What is she doing now?
Are you working hard according to the goals set by your father?
What do parents think of all the questions raised by netizens?
With these questions in mind, the reporter had an in-depth dialogue with Zhang Yiwen's father, Zhang Mintao.
Photo courtesy of Ziniu News reporter Chen Yong and interviewee
"Genius girl"
Graduated from college at the age of 10
The school said she was very low-key
Zhang Yiwen is a native of Shangqiu, Henan. When she was 4 years old, she was sent to kindergarten just like other children, but only for one month.
Father Zhang Mintao believed that the kindergarten did not provide adequate education for his daughter, so he took his daughter home and let the mother teach him.
At that time, Zhang Mintao and his wife held a training class in the local area to help students learn cultural lessons.
When Zhang Yiwen was 5 years old, Zhang Mintao felt that his daughter should receive a formal education. He deliberately changed the cram school to a private school and recruited two students to accompany him.
Since then, Zhang Yiwen has been educated in a private school at home.
In 2016, Zhang Yiwen was 9 years old. Zhang Mintao issued a certificate of equivalent academic ability to register for the college entrance examination. Unfortunately, he only got 172 points in the test and was not admitted.
In 2017, Zhang Yiwen scored 352 points in the single-entry examination organized by Shangqiu Institute of Technology, and was successfully admitted to the major of electronic information engineering technology in the school of information and electronic engineering, which is a three-year college.
The news of 10-year-old Zhang Yiwen's admission to the university caused widespread concern after being reported.
Some people on the Internet praised her as a "genius girl", but more people questioned her as "hype." Some people accused her father of using her daughter as a "live advertisement" to promote his private school.
Three years passed in a hurry, and the reporter learned that Zhang Yiwen had successfully graduated in July 2020.
On September 4, a staff member of the Admissions Office of Shangqiu Institute of Technology confirmed the news to reporters and briefly introduced Zhang Yiwen's three years in the school.
"The grades are at the middle level among students, and getting along with classmates is normal. Everyone takes care of her. Because she is small and short, she has to pad her toes when swiping cards in the cafeteria, and classmates will take the initiative to help when they see it." I told reporters that because of the large age difference from classmates, there will be differences in ideological views on things. Zhang Yiwen has fewer friends and spends more time alone.
Zhang Yiwen did not take the college entrance examination when he graduated.
"The computer-related majors she studied require high mathematics and English exams when she enters her undergraduate program. She is relatively weak in these two subjects. Now it is quite difficult to choose to enter the undergraduate program." According to the staff member, Zhang Yiwen is an ordinary student at school. Acting very low-key, "If the school is not paying special attention, you may not feel her presence."
After graduating, why didn't Zhang Yiwen continue his studies, what is he doing now, is he satisfied with the path arranged by his parents, and what plans for the future?
The reporter contacted Zhang Mintao, and he told the reporter that his daughter is currently working as a teaching assistant in a private school at home. She is now reluctant to accept interviews, but she can answer some questions herself.
Dialogue with Father Zhang
"Being a teaching assistant in a private school is her choice, preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination two years later"
Ziniu News: You made plans for your daughter’s life back then. You went to university at the age of 10 and graduated with a Ph.D. at the age of 20. It is best to engage in scientific research and enter the "upper society" in the future. Then continuing to study should be the only way to go, why the child has no choice College upgrade?
Zhang Mintao: It is expected that it will be adjusted in time according to the actual situation, and it is not necessary to go to the dark one by one.
When she was in college, there were two situations. One was that she fell in love with animation design, and the other was that she encountered difficulties in studying high maths.
If you continue to choose science and engineering to upgrade to a bachelor's degree, there will be obstacles, and we don't want to put her under pressure for further studies.
The current assumption is that after two years of training in a private school, you can take the postgraduate examination for education, and you can directly apply for the postgraduate examination after graduating from a junior college in accordance with the regulations.
And she didn't take high maths exams, avoiding her weakness.
Ziniu News: Is Zhang Yiwen's choice as a teaching assistant in a private school or his parents' arrangement?
Zhang Mintao: It is the result of negotiation between our parents and children.
After graduating, I considered three options. One is to go to a large company with a foreign friend, the other is to work with others locally, and the third is to work in my own private school.
After consulting her, she chose her own private school.
She is now a teaching assistant, not an independent teacher.
Mainly to assist my wife in correcting homework, and to teach some simple courses when the teacher is busy, including school chores.
Because she was teaching in her private school, she was a bit lazy in the early stage. We deducted 1,000 yuan from her good monthly salary of 2,000 yuan. In the past two or three months, because of her improved work performance, she was able to get 1,500 yuan.
"She thinks we took her on a wrong path"
Ziniu News: Some netizens questioned that you were controlling your child, strangling her childhood and depriving her of the right to compulsory education. What do you think of this?
Zhang Mintao: It is to guide rather than control.
I’m doing education myself. I’m actually guiding my child to keep her within our control. For example, Monkey King would feel great in the palm of the Buddha, but for the Buddha, it’s just in his palm. , This is what education should do, neither can be rigidly controlled nor left unattended.
In addition, I just provided a better education. Not only could we finish school as soon as possible and work ahead of time, but we also worked hard to improve her lofty ideals and sense of social responsibility. Of course, there is still a long way to go before the goal.
Ziniu News: What kind of personality is Zhang Yiwen, and does he appear more mature than his peers?
Is she satisfied with her own growth experience?
Zhang Mintao: Introverted.
I was relatively peaceful before puberty, but now I am a bit introverted, which may be related to family inheritance. My father and I are both introverts.
I don't talk much with strangers, but communication with students and family members is normal.
She appears to be more mature than her peers in thinking and doing.
The mainstream views of society oppose, ridicule and criticize us.
She thinks it was our parents who took her on a wrong path, and thinks that we delayed her and made her strange.
I want to wait until she has experienced five or six years of social practice and with the growth of the knowledge she has learned, then maybe she will know what is good for her.
"She feels lonely, but I don't think it is a bad thing."
Ziniu News: When she went to college at the age of 10, she lost the opportunity to socialize with children of the same age. Would she regret it?
What is the state of mind now?
Zhang Mintao: She feels lonely, but I think loneliness itself is not necessarily a bad thing, and loneliness is also exercise.
Many accomplished "everyones" are lonely.
Zhang Yiwen doesn't have much contact with his peers.
The mental health is relatively healthy, peaceful, happy and relaxed.
During school, she worked harder than her classmates. At that time, she was still young, and she was still a primary school student, and she was more obedient to the teacher.
Ziniu News: How is your relationship with your parents now?
Zhang Mintao: I'm not obedient now, a bit rebellious.
With independent opinions, sometimes I dare to quarrel with us.
For example, if she is currently a teaching assistant, she will disagree with us in the details of the work. We believe that students should be well-behaved in front of teachers, but she believes that students and teachers should be friends, and they should be integrated.
Ziniu News: Some people call Zhang Yiwen a "genius girl", what do you think?
Zhang Mintao: Genius is definitely wrong.
Because whether it is her, me, or even the whole family, the intelligence is only average.
It is because my educational philosophy is different from the others, and at the same time I am innovative in education, which made her reach this point.
Ziniu News: I heard that you also have a son. Would you raise it like your daughter?
Zhang Mintao: My son is 10 years old this year and he is also receiving my private school education. He is now in the third grade of junior high school.
We plan to spend three years for him to complete the high school course, and the goal is to enter Xi'an Jiaotong University Junior Class at the age of 13.
There must be differences between the education of sons and daughters. I hope that my son will go out into the world and my daughter will inherit the family education industry. Of course, I will respect the children's choices in the end.